Hopelessly Devoted to You
by SamAndBlair
Summary: Kurt knows he's got it bad. He likes Finn more then Alexander McQueen's new line.. So as he deals with the obsession, Rachel's ready for an epic showdown. Who will win? And more importantly, will Finn return the feelings?
1. Chapter 1

**Hopelessly Devoted to You**

**AN: Written by Blair. Began after 'Sectionals' had aired, so it's set at that time. The story is currently almost finished, with only a chapter or two to neaten up. Feedback is appreciated!**

**Xx Sam and Blair.**

He flicked his gray-blue eyes up to the girl who was speaking with him. "Kurt. Pay attention! Where is your head at today?" Mercedes demanded. He brushed his brown bangs off to the side in his signature gesture and replied, "Sorry I'm just a little.. distracted"

"I can tell" She murmured, "Whats going on?"

"Oh, Nothing"

"I know you too well to take that for an answer"

"Yes you're far too smart for that" He said offering her his wide smile, "The truth is.. I think.."

"You think you like someone?" She whispered, carefully averting her eyes to make sure no one was listening. "Yes" He said, his voice filled with trust. He could never speak to his only parent about this sort of thing. "Who?" She ventured.

"Finn" He replied, his name sounding strangely dreamy too him.

"Well that's been there a while.. there ain't no denyin' that" She said. "I know. But its getting worse.. now that he's single" He replied in an irregular, desperate tone. She nodded, "Well you'd wanna act fast coz Rachel is gonna be all over him soon"

"Mmm", He said standing up and smoothing his shirt.

"Wait", She said grabbing his arm, "Just how much do you like him?"

"More then this season's Alexander McQueen" he admitted quietly with an edge of his usual superior attitude.

"Then be careful. I don't want you getting hurt, okay?" She said with a calm respect that Kurt always appreciated in her.

He nodded, gratefully and swallowed, "We should get to glee then"

"Yeah we should" She said standing up and following him to the auditorium where the glee kids had agreed to meet.

He and Mercedes entered with an intake of plan was too look perfect and confident when he entered the room.

He'd taken care of the 'perfect' part earlier in the morning when he brushed his hair and tended to it extra carefully. He'd moisturized his face with the most expensive products he had. 'Confident' was an illusion he pulled off every day and he tried to combine it in his stance as he walked quickly past the row of occupied seats until he found two empty ones where he sat by Mercedes. He breathed cautiously and peeked his head subtly to the side to see where Finn was sitting. Finn, with his thick dark hair pricked up in his usual style, was sitting four seats away from him with an unusually perky Rachel to his left. He looked preoccupied which made a guilty smile creep onto his face. Kurt crossed his legs and clasped his hands over his knees in a signature position.

Mr Schuester clapped once and walked to the front of the classroom. "Okay guys. You all worked really hard and well a few weeks ago when we worked in pairs to do ballads. So you can work in those pairs for a new assignment. Matt, now that you're back you can work with Rachel.." Everything else Mr Schue said blurred hopelessly after that and Kurt's heart skipped a beat.  
_He'd be working with Finn._

"I think I'd be more excited if I was working with you or Tina" Mercedes grumbled to him, but he paid her no mind as he flushed with excitement.

He spun to see if Finn looked happy. Instead, he caught an angry glance from Rachel. Whatever kind of truce they'd had in the past seemed invisible now for this moment, he knew, their battle for Finn had commenced. Rachel Berry would never know the words she'd said to him in the past still rung in his ears.  
"You think I live in a fairy tale and that I'm just a second? Even if I were a second or even a fiftieth" She'd said, "I'd still be ahead of you because _I'm a girl_" He shivered feeling in confident, trying to remind himself that he was neglecting the second aspect of his plan.

He had an advantage. Rachel didn't. He had time alone with Finn that she didn't have.

Oh how he wished, as he glanced sideways at Finn, to be held in his arms and to reassure him that he didn't need Quinn. That he'd be fine without her. He'd always known that Quinn would hurt him. When it happened, he was only too eager to spread the story of her betrayal convinced that the longer it went on, the more hurt Finn would be. But when Rachel had been the one to tell Finn personally, he hadn't spared a glance for any of the three with a single spark of interest. But now he was partnered with Finn, he had a chance to win him over and finally have him for himself.

He knew Quinn was pretty much out of the picture, so now it was just down to him and Rachel and so he was left praying that things would turn in his favor.

He then started to pay attention to what Mr Schue was actually saying, "You and your partner will perform a duet together and the other members will score each pairing out of ten and give anonymous feedback" He said to the class, "You have a week from today to prepare your song and costumes are optional. You can have ten minutes to discuss what you'll be doing with your partner then you can go to your next classes"

Kurt stood up, unfolding his legs, and walked to Finn.  
"Why hello there Finn" He said with his laugh that Mercedes always described as 'awkward'

"Hi Kurt." Finn replied staring at him with a look that wasn't precisely admiring.

"Have you got any ideas for our duet?" Kurt asked tilting his head to the side.

"No.. Have you?" He said quietly.  
"Yes I do!" He smiled with a little thrust of his shoulder, "As Long as Your Mine. From Wicked.. the musical" It was one of the more romantic songs from his favorite musical. Although he figured he'd explain Wicked was a musical anyway. Finn wasn't the brightest in the bunch.

"I'm not sure.. It sounds kind of.. full on" Finn hesitated.

"No, I assure you it will be perfect. Your vocals would be amazing for the part of Fiyero and my voice is high enough to pass as Elphaba.." He said with a wide-eyed glance at Finn. Singing Wicked with Finn was a novelty he could only dream of.

"Okay I suppose. I'll try it"

"Thank you Finn. You're really amazing." Kurt smiled.  
"Uhh thanks" Finn murmured. He was still a little uneasy after the Quinn detour. But Kurt knew that he'd fix _that._

"Anyway, I could dye my skin green to look like Elphaba" He was going to start a full on rant about the entire plot of Wicked but he settled for just, "They think she is a witch.. her mother took a-"

Finn placed a hand on his shoulder to silence him which sent cold chills down his back, "You don't need to dye yourself green Kurt"

"Okay" He said, quietly.

"If we sing a powerful song and I think that's what you've picked. We need simple clothes, a dark stage and two spotlights. It would work" Finn replied to him.  
"Finn, you are a beautiful genius"

"Pardon?"

"You're a living genius"

"Oh okay.. I thought you said something else"

"_I did"_ He said too quietly for Finn to hear, "So we should practice after school"

"Yeah okay. Where?"

"You could come to my house. I have a big room so we should have space. Plus dad doesn't get bothered unless we're making deafening noises or playing Single Ladies a bit too loudly" Kurt replied.

"Oh.." Finn said mechanically, not seeming to see anything weird with this statement which made Kurt beam and fix his bangs again.

"So is it a deal?" Kurt asked hopefully.  
"Yeah sure. I'll come after football practice" Finn replied.

"Sure" Kurt said trying to be calm, "That sounds reasonable"

"Okay guys" Mr. Schuester halted their conversation, "Time to head off."

Kurt huffed, disappointed, "I'll see you after school then"

"Yeah" Finn said before slipping off to Mike Cheng, who he'd become friends with since he'd found out the father of 'his' baby, was his best friend. Puck hadn't confronted Finn at all, which just made Kurt want to comfort him.

He sighed as he walked to Mercedes' side, "We have drama together don't we?"

"Yeah" She replied, "Why?"

"Because I have a lot to tell you"

In Drama, Kurt sat by Mercedes still feeling a tingle where Finn's hand had touched his shoulder ten minutes ago.

"So are you gonna keep staring at the wall, Mr Dreamy, or are you gonna give me the info?" Mercedes whispered with an in-character smirk.

"I'll give you the info" he laughed.

"Good. You're driving me mad" She replied.

Kurt gave her every little detail possible and when he was done he added, "and he's coming to my house this afternoon after football practice"

"Oh my god.. That's good. But don't get carried away.. we don't know if he is even.. into guys"

"I know, but I feel like he will be"

"Kurt, he's had girlfriends"

"That doesn't mean anything" He responded and she stayed silent for the rest of the lesson.

When it was over, they gathered their things and left the room.  
"Kurt, I know you're excited. But please for your sake don't be disappointed if he doesn't share your feelings" She said gently.

"Thank you Mercedes" He said lifting an eyebrow, "May I escort you to the bus?"

"Yes." She chuckled and they walked to the yellow machine.

Kurt had always found the bus rather distasteful. He would drive home if his dad hadn't taken his baby away. They boarded the vehicle and took two empty seats at the back.

"So, what are you and Puck singing?" He said.

"No idea. I thought a nice R&B song but he wanted to sing, 'I'm too sexy for my shirt'.. Which I refused by the way"

Kurt laughed.

"See, that was your awkward laugh?" She boomed and he nudged her shoulder playfully.

"So I was thi-" She began but stopped as avid blogger and journalist, Jacob Ben Israel, approached them.

"What do you want?" Mercedes asked.

"Nothing" He sighed in reply, "I just need a seat"

Kurt rolled his eyes and pointed to the seat beside him.

Jacob sat down and sighed again, causing Kurt to eye him snootily.

"Why so depressed?" Mercedes asked.

"I'm heartbroken!" Jacob said as he placed his hand dramatically.

"Um, why?" She asked nervously.

"Its a disaster. And I'm only telling you two because we're such good friends," At _friends_, Kurt scoffed, "I'm heartbroken because my sweetheart Rachel Berry is most certainly going to be exclusive with Finn Hudson soon" Jacob said quietly but with emphasis on _my sweetheart. _Mercedes chuckled faintly, "You can't know that" she insisted apparently not trying to hurt Kurt's feelings.

"Yes I do" He replied as Mercedes groaned, "She's invited Finn to her house tomorrow night.." Jacob said with a scowl.

Kurt buried his face in his hands helplessly as Mercedes placed a reassuring hand on his back.

"I know Kirk. I feel your pain. The thought of Rachel not being single is unbearable" Jacob said, his voice filled with self pity, as he placed a free hand beside Mercedes' on Kurt's back.

Kurt snatched his hand away from him, "_My name is __Kurt_ and I'm not upset about Rachel. Only _you_ would crush so mindlessly on her"

"Aren't we friends? I though pretending to be a member at sectionals made up for the things on my blog" Jacob replied.

"You only did that for Rachel" Mercedes said then rolled her eyes, "Buuut, we might find it in our hearts to accept you more... If you pass on a message"

Kurt shot her an inquiring look as Jacob asked, "What message?"

"You can tell Rachel that Finn is going to be occupied tomorrow.. Because he's coming to Kurt's house tomorrow for dinner"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two.**

**AN: I know the formatting of this story is messed up and I'm really sorry. When I try to fix it, it deletes paragraphs of writing so I hope you bear with it! Thank you for reading!**

When Kurt got off the bus, he marched inside wondering why on earth he'd agreed to invite Finn over for dinner.

He supposed though, it was better then him hanging out at Rachel's house.

"Dad!" he called out and Burt Hummel grunted from his place on the lounge.

"My friend is coming over this afternoon to work on a glee assignment. And they'll come to dinner tomorrow with Mercedes" He said.

"Sure. I'm always glad to uh, meet your friends"

"Thank you dad" He said happily and went to his room and collapsed on the bed.

He sat up to look at his clock. It was fifteen minutes until football practice ended, so he stood up preparing to raid his walk-in closet.

He ended up picking out a black and red pinstripe suit and white shirt with an undone bow-tie slung around his neck.

Kurt Hummel would never feel over-dressed.

He powdered his face quickly when he heard the knock on the door, then dashed upstairs to answer it. He inhaled before letting it swing open.

Finn was still in his jersey, and when he caught sight of Kurt his face blushed red.

"Hello" Kurt breathed.

"Uh, hi. I didn't really.. get dressed up" Finn struggled.

"It's okay. You look fine" Kurt replied beaming admiringly at Finn.

He gestured behind him for Finn to follow, "My room is down there. You can leave your things there"

Finn nodded, only too glad to slip down the stairs to Kurt's bedroom.

'Finn Hudson' Kurt thought dreamily, 'Is in my bedroom'

"Dad. My friend, Finn, is here" he called.

Burt sat up straight, "Wait, what? Your friend is a guy?"

"Yes" He said slowly.

"Look Kurt. I'm not really..comfortable with you being down there alone with another guy"

"Dad, we're going to be singing show tunes. Plus, Finn is totally straight" Kurt said secretly hoping his last point was a lie.

As Finn crept back up the stairs, Kurt glided his pale hand in his direction.  
"Dad this is Finn. Finn this my father, Burt"

"Good to meet you, Burt" Finn said, extending his hand for Mr. Hummel to shake.

Burt took it and nodded, "Well uh, have fun singing and whatever"

Kurt grinned at him and led Finn back down the steps to his room.

"Um. Nice room by the way" Finn said awkwardly.

"Thank you. Anyway I have burnt copies of _As long as you're mine_. One for you too. The first has vocals and the second is instrumental."

He brought up the lyrics on his laptop and passed it too Finn.

He knew the song off by heart anyway.

"So I'm doing.. Fie...yerro's part right?" Finn said staring at the lyrics with his mouth open slightly.

"Fiyero's. Yes. Fiyero was with a girl, when he realized he was in love with someone else. Someone a little... different" He said with quiet symbolism.

"Oh.. okay then" Finn whispered uneasily.

Kurt pressed play on the CD player and as the familiar tune started to play Kurt recited Elphaba's part. When Finn joined in, the original Fiyero seemed was boring to Kurt.

He almost forgot to start singing again when they'd reached the chorus, but remembered, his high soprano voice blending in with Finn's in just the wait he'd hoped.

When they'd finished, Kurt stared, "You give Norbert Leo Butz a run for his money you know?"

Finn smiled, "I have no idea who that is but thanks... Well that was pretty good."

Kurt sighed, "Yes.. We are going to win that competition" He declared, pretty sure that he was right too.

"You think so?"

"I know so" He glanced at him, "Combined with your idea about the stage.. it will be amazing"

"Yeah it sounds fine" Finn said.  
"Do you want to run through it again?" Kurt asked.

"Not really.. to tell you the truth I'm still kinda tired from football practice. Can we take a break?"

"Of course" Kurt sat on a chair besides where Finn had sat on his bed.

"Oh, that's what I was meaning to ask you. Tomorrow Mercedes is coming over for tea, and dad said you could come. We can go for a night-swim and although the chlorine content is just terrible for my hair and face, I can fix it. And it will be worth it.."

Finn smiled, "I'd really love to. But I'm seeing Rachel tomorrow."

"Don't you worry about Rachel. I spoke to her already and she said you could come to dinner with us instead."

"Oh cool" He said, "Well I'll come.. What time do you want me to get here?"

"Whenever you want. Mercedes is coming after school but Dad isn't serving tea until later"

"Okay.. Well I'll see when I can come then" He smiled lazily.

"Sounds good" He said returning the smirk.

"In the meantime, lets practice your song again"

"Our song" Kurt corrected quietly.

The next day dragged on longer then usual.

Kurt kept daydreaming during his classes. In Spanish, Mr Schuester asked him a question and he actually answered with, "Finn"

Mr Schuester had stared at him and the other members of the class had laughed as he turned his head around anxiously to make sure Finn wasn't in the room.

When he wasn't, he apologized and said that he was just thinking about his fish, Fin, and had accidentally said it out loud.

And when the school day had finally passed, Mercedes and he had caught the bus again. He barely even registered what they talked about on the way home and Mercedes would burst out laughing at him every time he kept a _head in the clouds expression_ on his face.

"Kurt, you need to wake up!" she giggled, "You're head over heels"

"I know", He said as their stop came into view, "I can't help it"

"Of course you can't" She said with a happy shake of her head as the bus doors creaked open and they made their way to Kurt's house.

He looked sideways with a superior blink as he made sure he wouldn't be trampled by a car and lose his brand new jacket, then they crossed the road.

He reached for the handle and opened it then turned to Mercedes, "Well, what shall we do until Finn gets here?" He asked, smoothing his hair.

"Not sure." She smiled, "What do we normally? Raid your clothes and bake cookies that taste like we've cooked them four hours longer then we were meant to"  
"What can I say?" He said with a smoldering wink, "My clothes were more important"

She sighed, "Oh Kurt"

"Good afternoon Dad" He called over his shoulder and went down the steps to his room and tapped his foot on the ground, "What should I wear now?"

"You don't need to get changed Kurt"

"But I did yesterday"

"Well you don't need to today"

"Okay.." He said, "Oops. I think I just spill invisible tomato sauce on my clothes. I'll have to get changed"

"If its invisible it won't be a problem" Mercedes said tauntingly.

"But if it sets into the material I won't be able to wear this again" He murmured.

"I think you'll be fine"

He unwrapped the scarf from his neck and laid it on his bed, "Fine" He said defeated, "Then what do you propose we do?"

"Why don't we just chat?"

"Just chat." He laughed, "We've heard that before. And we know it means gossip and if it means gossip then you've chosen to speak to the right guy"

"If its gossip you want then that's what you'll get" She said with a half-smile.

"Okay. Lets start from where we left off. Rachel Berry. I'm sorry but who wears khaki knit sweaters nowadays?"

"I know. And Quinn doesn't appear to be getting the help with choosing her clothes she should be getting. I feel sorry for her. Shes obviously clueless about covering her baby bump."

"I told her my recommendations but she paid me no mind" Kurt said innocently.

"I know. I don't get Puck either. He's done jack to help her. I know shes tryin' to be all independent but he out of all people should know that's not what she really wants" Mercedes said, "Even in glee he's kinda zoned out all the time"

"Plus he hasn't even been dating Santana or anyone else since everyone found out about him being the father." Kurt brought up.

"I know. I think he really cares about Quinn."

Kurt snorted, "Do you think so?"

"I do." Mercedes replied.

"Finn has been a little out of it too I suppose. But do you blame him. His best friend and his girlfriend... Actually I haven't spoken to Finn today. I'm not even sure what time he's arriving"

"Maybe you should call him" Mercedes suggested.

"Yes.." He said with a smirk, "I will"

He stood up and picked up his white i Phone from the dresser, then scrolled through the contacts until he saw Finn's picture.  
He saw Mercedes listening intently as he pressed the call button and waited for the ring.

It rung precisely five times before Finn answered. 

"Hello?" He said.

"Hi Finn. It's Kurt" He said into the receiver.

"Uh hi. What's up?"

"Oh, I was just wondering what time you were going to come over?"

"Come over?" He hesitated, "Is that still..happening?"

"Yes." Kurt replied frowning, "Why wouldn't it be?" He laughed with a false care-free nature

"I'm with Rachel at the moment. She said that you told her to tell me that you had to cancel at the last minute"

"Oh.." Kurt said quietly, "Yep.. Can I please talk to Rachel for a minute?"

"Sure.. I guess" Finn said.

When a voice answered him next, it was Rachel's, "Hello Kurt"

"Hi Rachel. Want to tell me whats going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said and he could imagine that she'd shake her head so her hair flicked over her shoulders when she said that.

"Oh I think you do" He said coldly, "Finn was invited to visit my house this afternoon before you lied to him."

"Oh. You mean kind of like how you lied to Jacob. Did you really think he'd take your side Kurt? Over mine?"

"It doesn't matter whose side Jacob is on Rachel."

"Well he proved to be somewhat helpful in getting Finn away from you. Did you actually think that just because he was dim you could use him into falling for a stupid idea like yours?

Well I'm not dim and I saw through it"

Kurt laughed at this, "Well you must be to think that I'd believe that. Jacob didn't help you.

Why would he? He wants you for himself. He wouldn't assist you in getting Finn back. So in this case, he most certainly is on my side."  
"Whatever Kurt. Finn is here with me. Someone who actually cares about him and doesn't want to change him. He's not with you. So deal with that."

"Put Finn back on the phone" He ordered.  
"Make me" She said quietly and hung up the phone.

He breathed deeply, convincing himself not to call her back and demand that she put Finn back on. But there would be no point. She was right after all. Finn wasn't with him so she'd won this one.

"What happened?" Mercedes asked sweetly.

"Rachel happened" He said irritatedly.

Mercedes groaned, and thankfully didn't ask for details.

"Just know that she is a cow and that Finn isn't coming" He said.

"So what?" Mercedes said cheerily, "Who is she to stop us from having fun?"

"You're right." He said smiling a little, "Are you up for burning cookies?"

After dinner, Mercedes ended up staying over for a sleepover, which wasn't that common but it was obvious his father appreciated it a lot more with him having a girl over then a guy.

They had two mattresses set up and a tray of burnt cookies they'd covered in pink and blue icing. But they realized after eating them, the icing did nothing for how they tasted.

They had a pajama fashion show where Kurt sported his brand new pink ones and used his bedroom as the catwalk. Mercedes followed in her more normal flannelet purple ones.

But who was Kurt to be normal?

When they were both on the mattresses eating burnt cookies Kurt straightened Mercedes' hair, "So what exactly did Rachel say?" She asked him.

"Well.. Not anything intelligent." He smiled and when she rolled her eyes he continued, "She tried to tell me that Jacob had sided with her and told helped her get Finn 'back' but I know better then that. As if he'd want her to spend a night with Finn"

"I know.. Wow. I don't get her sometimes"

"I do." He said and she frowned with a confused look on her face, "She just wants Finn. Like me"

They stayed silent for a minute and Kurt finished by pulling her hair up into a side ponytail.

She smiled understandingly as he packed it away and dropped back onto the bed.

"Thanks for having me over. You're being so much better about this then I'd be"

He shrugged his eyes misty, "What am I supposed to do? Go over there? Call him?"

"Go to sleep" She said, "We can deal with it together tomorrow"

"Yeah" He said and exhaled.

"Good night Kurt" Mercedes laid down on her pillow and let her eyes slip closed.

"Night Mercedes" He said letting his chest rise and fall with his silent breathing. He concentrated on it and until he fell asleep, letting himself forget the day's events.

~  
When he opened his eyes again, Mercedes was still asleep. Her hair still looked elaborate he noticed with a pleased smirk.

He got up, and walked out of his room. His father was up and eating his breakfast.

"Hi dad" Kurt said smiling.

His dad looked up and examined his clothes, "Yeah.. Hey Kurt"

"How are you this morning?" He asked.

He nodded pausing again to look at Kurt's pajamas, "I'm fine"

"That's good" He said still grinning despite his father's wide-eyed glances at the pink clothes that he wore.

"Where.. Uh, when did you get those?" He said picking at the pajamas lightly.

"A few days ago."

"Okay then.."

Kurt waited quietly then walked over to the bench to get he and Mercedes breakfast.

He wasn't in the mood to cook anything more then toast so that's what he made as he yawned.

"How about we go pajama shopping on the weekend Kurt?"

"Whats wrong with what I have on?"

"Oh nothing. Forget I mentioned it"

He nodded and buttered the toast and placed it on the table and ate his and Mercedes appeared at the top of his staircase.

"Hi Mr. Hummel" she greeted and sat down next to Kurt and took the plate off him.

"Morning Mercedes" Burt said.

Kurt looked up, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah I did"

"What are we going to do about Finn?"He asked.

"Not sure.. Buuut it's a weekend so we could work that"

"How so?" He asked.  
"We could invite him out somewhere" She said squinting.

"Like?"

"The park?"

"Eugh.. No"

"The shops?"

"Oh. How I wish"

"Ice skating?"

He clicked, "That sounds perfect." He said contemplatively.

She took a bite of her toast, "That way Rachel isn't around and it would just be the three of us. But I could invite Tina so you can talk to Finn alone"

"Yeah" He said, "Is it too soon to call him?"

At this statement, Burt got up and left the room.

"I don't think so" She said, "I'll call Tina while you're ringing him"

"Sure"

Mercedes stood up with her phone as Kurt crossed his legs and dialed Finn again.

"Hi" Finn said and Kurt felt a shiver run down his spine at his voice.  
"Hello Finn Hudson"

"Kurt?"

"Yes" He laughed.

"Oh.. I thought you might have been my auntie"

"Why how flattering.. Mercedes and I are going ice skating and Tina is coming along. I thought you'd like to come along too. Just to make up for last night's.. misunderstanding."

"Yeah I'm sorry about that. Rachel was really upset that she heard you wrong"

"I bet she was" Kurt said.

"Anyway, yeah I'll come. Is it the rink kinda near that guy who works at Wal-Mart?"  
"I...don't know. It's near our school"  
"That one! Okay" Finn replied.

"We'll meet you there in half an hour" He smiled.

"Alright. See ya Kurt."

"Bye Finn" He chirped and hung up his phone then went out to Mercedes.  
"He's coming" He declared.

"So is Tina"

"Well I'm going to get ready" Kurt said over his shoulder and dashed downstairs to his closet.

He opened it with a sigh then flicked through the coat hangers commentating in his whether he wanted it or not.

Until he reached a beige Marc Jacobs jacket.

Well, Marc Jacobs had never let him down before.

He picked out matching pants in a lighter hue then swiftly dressed and buttoned his jacket up to the top.

"Good" He whispered to his reflection then went to see what his best friend was wearing.

She had a black dress with tights and a denim outer bordered with fake fur.

"Nice Kurt" Mercedes said.  
"You too" He said with a flick of his head.

"We'd better start moving. You don't have a car anymore so we'd better get going"

"You're right, Oh how I miss my baby. I wish I'd asked Finn for a ride."  
"Whatever. Lets go"He nodded.  
It was a rare day when it wasn't raining in Lima, Ohio.

Today wasn't one of those days.

He fetched two umbrellas from the door and passed one too Mercedes.  
She agreed to have the black one when he had his large red one.

He never would understand why it was questioned to have a designer umbrella.

Kurt opened the umbrella and twirled it around on his shoulder with a sidewards grin.

When the were outside, Mercedes opened hers too and they posed under them, their umbrellas just overlapping.

A passer-by stared at them as he walked across the asphalt.

"We're just that cool" Mercedes called.

They stopped posing then, with laughter, so that they'd make it there on time.

And once Kurt was past the protection of his roof, he checked regularly in case his outfit was getting soaked.

They walked at a steady pace, but still fast enough to get there in the twenty five minutes they had left.

"It's so gloomy out here" Mercedes mentioned, "Lucky we'll be inside"

"Yes, I'm excited." He half-smiled.

"Me too. Even if its cold. It can't be worse then out here" She said with a shiver.

The ice-skating rink was coming slowly into view.

Kurt had been there several times but wasn't great.

He hoped that he wouldn't get too distracted by Finn and embarrass himself as they opened the doors and laid down their umbrellas.

Kurt almost got into an argument with the person at the door for telling him too put his umbrella outside but Mercedes dragged him away and allowed the nervous staff girl to take it.

Tina was the first too see them as Kurt pushed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and looked around coolly.

"M-Mercedes! Kurt" She called waving a hand covered in a fishnet glove.

"Hey Tina" Mercedes said, hugging her.

"H-Hi guys. Finn is already here. I'm not sure where he went though. We should go pay I guess" Tina's stuttering had improved rapidly, Kurt noted, as they followed her mop of black hair.

Finn wasn't at the counter but he rushed over to them from the bathrooms.

"Hi guys" He said and Kurt's heart fluttered.

"Hello" Kurt said.

"Hi. I haven't paid yet but we can do that now I guess"

The four of them went to the counter and started picking out notes from his bag.

"Why are you here?" He heard Finn ask quietly to the person at the register.

Kurt nodded his head up in surprise at Finn's tone. And there was...

Quinn Fabray.

She was wearing a loose fitting shirt that clung to her large stomach.  
He noticed that she looked bigger then how he remembered, but what surprised him more was that she had the badge to work there.

"I needed a job" She explained biting her lip, "To pay the bills. They let me work here after school and on weekend" She tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Right. The four of us" Finn said as they each passed her the money.

She stamped each of their hands gently and Finn walked hurriedly away from her to the skate hire. Tina and Mercedes followed but Kurt offered her a sympathetic look after darting after him. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Finn would be his soon anyway.

When Kurt reached him, Finn passed him a pair of skates for him too try on.

And Kurt sat down by the side of the rink and Finn joined him shortly afterward with a pair of his own.

"Sorry. It must be hard always having to see her" He said pulling his original shoes off.

"Yeah. I'm getting over it"

"You don't need to be ashamed, Its okay to be upset about it."

"Okay" He said with a shrug.

"But forget about it now, because this will be fun" Kurt said pushing his foot into the skate. Finn actually smiled, "Thanks"

Kurt tied up its laces, "Its a perfect fit" He said.  
"Uh, good"

"I haven't done this in a while" Kurt laughed as he stood up and stumbled over to the start of the ice.

Finn followed him, "It's all good. I'll help you out."

"Really?" He breathed.  
"Why not?" Finn said.

"Thank you Finn"

Kurt let his left foot slide on the ice and he guided himself along the wall until he had both feet stable on the floor. Finn followed, slightly more easily, but still with the wobbles of adjusting to the slippery ground below him.

"Just do a lap holding the wall so you get used to it" Finn said, on his other side, not needing the wall.

Kurt obeyed him and did a lap with Finn following.

"Now see if you can go without this time"

Kurt nodded and slid away from the wall, letting his body flow into the unnatural rhythm of swaying to move.

By the end of the second lap he was building up a bit more confidence.  
"Now try going a bit faster" Finn suggested, keeping up with Kurt's pace.

He moved his legs faster and they moved steadily around the rink.  
"Thanks." Kurt said to Finn, "Do you come here a lot?"

"Not really. I used to when I was a kid though. Its kinda always been easy for me"

"It would be. You're very good with sports" Kurt acknowledged.

"..Yeah" Finn said.

Kurt looked at Finn instead of where he was going.

"It's nice to just relax.. without all the pressure" Finn muttered.

"What kind of pressure?" Kurt asked.

"Well football and glee.. and Puck and Quinn. It's just kinda over the top. Especially when I thought I had it bad before"

"That's awful.. But I'm glad you're relaxed"

"Yeah we really have to practice our duet too I really love your song, but maybe we could start with that then break into another song. That'd be kinda cool"

"Yeah it would.. But what other song?"

"Not sure, we'll have to think about that" Finn said.

"I'll try and think of something" Kurt promised.

"Same" Finn said.

Kurt smiled at him his head on an angle then he heard Mercedes' yell his name.

"Kurt!" She cried.

He turned just in time to see the back wall he was about to collide with.

He reached out towards Finn, as he toppled towards the ice and remembered gasping, "Oh god no. Not these pants"

He landed on his knees and Finn grabbed his hand to try and pull him back up but lost grip.

Kurt stayed on the cold ice and Mercedes helped him up all the way.

"Are you okay Kurt?" She laughed.

"_I _am fine" He said with a groan, "My pants _are wet_. They can only be hand-washed you know?" But he was interrupted when Finn's hand clasped his shoulder.  
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

Kurt nodded slowly and out of the corner of his eye he saw Quinn from the sidelines, "Do you need help?" She called.

"We're fine" Mercedes said back.

"Are you sure?"

"She said _we're fine!"_ Finn shouted from the back wall with Kurt.

"It's okay. Lets keep talking about those songs" Kurt suggested guiding Finn away from Quinn's gaze and giving him an unneeded push to start him off.

They did a couple of dozen more laps before the session was over and Kurt made his way home with Mercedes.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The week passed quickly, Finn always seemed distracted during this week but they'd found time to rehearse _As Long as You're Mine_. They hadn't found a second song to sing.

Kurt had spent a long time on the Internet searching for duets but he hadn't found anything.

When Thursday came he was worried. They only had a day to figure it out.

"I haven't had any luck yet.." Kurt had admitted to Finn that day when they met up to talk about it.

"Me either.. Maybe we should just forget it" Finn said.

"But its a fabulous idea. We should be able to do it" Kurt said, "If we already sing a duet at the beginning I guess we could do any song at the end. We just have to find the right one"

"Well I'll get back to you on it. I have been thinking too and just can't find anything"

"We have to hurry though. I'll talk to you this afternoon and tomorrow morning"

"Okay. I gotta go to football. See you at glee" Finn waved.

"Bye then" Kurt called and went to Tina, Mercedes and Artie to sit with them for the remainder of the lunch break.

He pranced over to the table, "Hello"

"Hiya Kurt" Artie said, extending his hand to high-five him.

Kurt tapped his pale fingers against Artie's palm then brushed them through his hair.

"Sit down." Mercedes insisted and he did crossing his legs under the cafeteria tables.

Tina smiled, "Hey.." She said.

"I was just talking to Puck" Mercedes started, "And we know what we're doing and its horrible. Puck has an okay voice but gosh that boy needs to stop making sad jokes and get on with what is important. I thought our ballad was bad enough. Being paired with him for another week is worse"

Artie smiled, "Quinn is very nice. She is so quiet though. I feel so sorry for her, she used to be a lot more alive and sweet."

Tina stared at Artie here.

"But now she's kind of.. dead?" He added.

Kurt nodded, "I feel more sorry for Finn though, having to see her all the time."  
"It must be hard for him, but I still worry for that girl" Mercedes muttered, "having to go through it all with no one helping"

"Yeah I c-c-could never do it" Tina agreed.

"She was in the wrong but everybody knows that. And everything has been bad enough and she sure has suffered so I'm willing to give her a chance still" Mercedes said in her diva voice.

No one argued with her statement and they sat in silence for a moment.  
"I just wish I found a second song" Kurt said quietly, "It was such a good idea. A duet and then we could do a love song, but nothing I found quite worked"

"You'll think of something Kurt" She said tapping his cheeks.

He smiled, wondering why everyone had the urge to touch his white porcelain-looking face.

"Do you want to help me radio-surf this afternoon?" He asked.

"I'd love too, but I have to see Puck because we are still so clueless it hurts" She replied.

"It's alright. Good luck with that" He said.

"Thanks. I hope you think of a song before tomorrow"

After a quick day, Kurt was feeling disappointed in himself. He still hadn't nailed the perfect song.

He found himself on his bed, staring at the ceiling, going through songs on his Cd's.

He paused it for a minute, when he heard his ring tone and grabbed his phone to answer it.

To his surprise, Rachel's photo was sitting on the screen of his i Phone.

At first, he had a thought to ignore the phone call. If Rachel was ringing him, she'd either be threatening to destroy him or something was seriously weird.

"Hello Rachel" He answered.

"Hi" She said.

"Why?" He asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you." She replied.

"About?" He said impatiently.

"The competition tomorrow.. I just wanted to wish you luck. Even with Finn's talent you're going to need it because I'm going to win. And I think you'll like the song I've chosen. I think Finn will too because I selected it specifically for him"

"Empty threat, Rachel dear. Finn and I are going to win."

"Think that while you can Kurt." She answered.

"I will"

"And be prepared because our act is going to be_ spectacular_!"

"Of course it is Rachel."  
"I know"

"But ours will be better" Kurt added, then hung up.

He laid back on his bed, feeling strangely good.

He wondered why he was so confident that they'd win, at the rate they were going, the idea they had would fail. But _As Long As You're Mine_ should stand on its own.

Or at least he hoped it would be good enough against Rachel.

He wanted to impress Finn, and if he didn't Rachel would.

It was the the lunch break before glee rehearsal and Kurt had nothing. They were going to have to just sing the song by itself. His idea would be to have another verse of a different song to leave a lasting image at the end.

He just wanted Finn to be impressed.

He sighed, there was so little time. He decided to go and see if Finn had any ideas.

Kurt stood up and excused himself from their table. He wandered over to the jock's table.

Finn wasn't there as far as he could see.

"Where's Finn?" he asked the boys.

Puck was there too. He laughed and looked away.

"He's probably busy. Why do _you_ care?" One of the football players boomed.

"Because I need to talk to him" Kurt said, which got more expectant snorts.

He was eager to get away from this table.

He started to walk away, when two large hands grabbed him from behind, "Where you going gay boy? No loser comes to our table uninvited and expects to just walk away" The boy hissed.

Another football player had joined him, "Yeah that's right"

"Let go of me" Kurt said calmly.  
"What are you gonna do?" One of them laughed.

Kurt stayed silent, 'nothing' he responded in his mind.

Puck came over to the crowd.

Kurt glanced at him pleadingly.

"Please. Don't Puck" He whispered although he wouldn't hear.

But why wouldn't he attack him? This was his group.

"What are you up for today? Atomic wedgie, dumpster or maybe.. we could get your friend Finn to show you wear the slushy machine is"

Kurt swallowed when all the boys laughed, "Can I get changed first?"

"What would be the fun in that?" Puck smiled.

"But the glee performance-" He protested.

"Who cares?" One of them roared.

As they all edged in closer too him, he took a step backwards.  
They were close and he made the decision to make a bolt for it.

He spun on his heels, and ran. There was so many of them, and his hair that he'd carefully styled was bouncing dangerously.

He fixed it, as he moved, regularly looking back over his shoulder.

They weren't far behind him, as he dashed around the corner, his shoes squeaking on the floor.

Around the corner he bumped right into..

Finn.

He jumped behind him, breathing deeply.

Finn looked between Kurt and the footballers, then shoved Puck away from Kurt.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

Puck stared at Finn, "Like you used to care about how these losers felt before you joined homo explosion"

"You joined glee too Puck"

"Finn you'll never get it will you-"

"You're right. I don't get it. Get away from Kurt, I don't care if it affects my reputation. I've got nothing to lose now" Finn pulled Kurt, who was still ducking behind his protection, away from the group.

They were silent as they walked away. Kurt was sure they'd try to come after him again.

But they didn't.

"You okay?"

"Of course." Kurt exclaimed gratefully, "I don't know what they would've done if you weren't there though"

"You're tough. You would have been fine without me" Finn said gently.

"Yeah" He said doubtfully. Between him cowering behind Finn and his next to no muscles he had no idea how Finn saw him as 'tough'. But he still glowed with pride.

"Oh" He said remembering why he'd come to look for Finn in the first place, "Have you had any ideas?"

"No.." He said.

"Oh okay" Kurt replied, "Its alright"

Finn nodded, "Not long now. I just have to go ask my English teacher something.. I don't get how you're supposed to write a story about a character that you make up. Why can't you just use characters that are already there?"

"Uh, of course. I know exactly where you're coming from" Kurt tried to smile.

"Well see you soon." Finn said.

Kurt watched him go then spun cautiously at a voice.

"Don't get too caught up in him. You'll get hurt" Quinn said, her flawless complexion looking blotchy.

"What?" He asked her.

"You'll get hurt by the truth.." She whispered.

"Thank you.. for the advice?"

"Just like Puck's hurting me." She said dreamily. He figured she'd turn to just about anyone now, "I'm sure he doesn't like me but its weird. When I think about him.. I don't feel like I'm alone anymore"

He stared at her. He'd given her a brilliant idea.  
"I know exactly what you mean" He called before darting back after Finn.

Kurt took his seat in the auditorium and watched as Mr Schuester went onto the stage.

He spoke into the microphone with a smile, "Okay guys. This is the official competition, and boy am I excited! I picked the order at random so you have got to be ready. When you're called, head backstage and get your things prepared to perform. Just to remind you, its a voting system. So you rate each person out of ten, and you can add feedback if you want."

They all nodded in agreement as Mr Schuester picked up a list, "The first pair to perform is..  
Santana and Brittany. Good luck girls!"

Brittany, who was beside Kurt, groaned.

She and Santana and Brittany got on stage.

It took a little while for them to get ready, and they were arguing backstage. Brittany had no idea how to turn the microphone on. Or so she thought, because the whole group was listening to their argument through it.

An upbeat familiar tune started sounding and the two girls made their way on stage.

They were dressed in tight silver outfits. Kurt would consider them to be jumpsuits but the sleeves were cut off and the bottom of the skirt was so high it looked like a sad variation of their cheer leading uniform.

The song turned to be _Bad Romance_ by Lady Gaga and they danced around the stage a little too dramatically, flicking their hair around madly.

When the song ended Brittany kept going, singing, "Ooh la la!" into her microphone before saying, "Oh right" at the realization that the music was over.  
Santana slapped herself in the head.

Mr Schue stood in front of them again, "Great job guys! Okay next is... Tina and Mike"

Tina and Mike exchanged glances before walking up the stairs.

When their song began, it was a bunch of runs from a background singer in a high soprano voice.

It was distastefully Gothic. They had announced it as _Memories_ by Within Temptation.

Tina's voice was quiet and sharp. It was apparent how in-confident she was with the song choice and Mike randomly sung along, not knowing the lyrics.

When the stopped, everyone clapped politely but Mercedes and Kurt exchanged worried glances.

The next pair to go up the stairs was Mercedes and Puck.

Mercedes had shuddered when she heard her name but went on stage anyway.

They took longer then Santana and Brittany to start the performance. They entered dressed in color-coordinated outfits. Mercedes wore a blue dress with black leggings, while Puck had a similar colored shirt and black pants.

Kurt recognized the song playing as _Talk You Down_ by The Script. It was not exactly what Mercedes would normally sing, so he guessed it was Puck's choice.

Puck sung well and Mercedes sung along with the chorus. She sounded great but her voice wasn't needed in the song. He felt sorry for her.

Quinn and Artie were next. Quinn helped him up the ramp and they went behind the curtain out of view. The first thing Kurt noticed was the lights. The stage glowed with a green light while they were dressed in all red. Quinn had a loose red dress and apple earrings while Artie looked simple in his red shirt and pants.

They sung _Thinking Of You_ by Katy Perry and when they ended Kurt noticed Puck staring at Quinn. Maybe her efforts worrying had been wasted after all.

"Next is.. Kurt and Finn" Mr Schuester's voice echoed, making Kurt shift uneasily. He stood up as Finn did and they went backstage. He wasn't exactly feeling inconfident, after all they had figured out their problem.

"Okay remember what we rehearsed." Kurt said to Finn doing motions with his hands.

He put the CD in the stereo then darted to the other end of the curtain to change into his costume.

When they both came out in white shirts, jackets and jeans. Kurt smiled.  
"Are you ready?" He asked Finn.

"Yeah" Finn said.

The stage darkened completely and the curtains drew open. The opening melody had started to play and when Kurt stepped onto the stage a spotlight glowed onto him.

When it was his time started to sing

"Kiss me too fiercely.  
Hold me too tight  
I need help believing  
You're with me tonight.  
My wildest dreamings  
Could not foresee  
Lying beside you  
With you wanting me

Just for this moment  
As long as you're mine  
I've lost all resistance  
And crossed some borderline  
And if it turns out  
It's over too fast  
I'll make every last moment last  
As long as you're mine"

Kurt finished his part, and when he had, another spotlight shone on Finn, who entered  
from the opposite side.

Then Finn started to sing his part,  
"Maybe I'm brainless  
Maybe I'm wise  
but you've got me seeing  
through different eyes  
Somehow I've fallen  
under your spell  
and somehow I'm feeling  
it's "up" that I fell ..."

And at the chorus they joined in together until the last words of the song were spoken.  
And when they were, they both walked to the front of the stage as a new melody sounded.  
It was _Vanilla Twilight_ by Owl City.

They joined together in singing two selected paragraphs.  
"I'll watch the night turn light-blue.  
But it's not the same without you  
Because it takes two to whisper quietly.

The silence isn't so bad.  
Until I look at my hands and feels sad.  
Because the spaces between my fingers,  
are right where your's fit perfectly"

The music droned out and the stage brightened back up to it's original state and Kurt kept beaming at the crowd.

"Bow" Finn said.

"Huh?"

"Bow."

"Oh"  
They bent over together in a sweeping bow and the audience applauded.

Mr Schuester went back to the front of them room, "That was amazing guys! Okay last but not least we have Matt and Rachel"

Rachel beamed from her seat, "Saving the best for last, Mr. Schue?"

"We'll see Rach" He said, and they went up the stairs.

For a minute, Kurt was a little insecure about what Rachel was going to do.

But he sat back and relaxed. He and Finn had to have won.

They had too have nailed it.

Rachel entered the stage and Matt followed looking slightly confused. They were dressed as characters that Kurt knew. They were dressed as Maria and Tony from West Side Story.

Kurt stared as Rachel sung the lyrics of 'Somewhere'

"There's a place for us  
Somewhere a place for us  
Peace and quiet and open air  
Wait for us  
Somewhere

There's a time for us  
Some day a time for us  
Time together  
With time to spare  
Time to look  
Time to care  
Someday"  
They paused for a minute, before the tune kept going and lights whirled crazily around the stage. The music got more upbeat, unlike the original and they started to do a well choreographed dance while singing.  
"Somewhere  
We'll find a new way of living We'll find a way of forgiving  
Somewhere

There's a place for us  
A time and place for us  
Hold my hand  
And we're halfway there  
Hold my hand  
And I'll take you there  
Somehow  
Someday  
Somewhere"

They ended with a blur of more lights, as they bowed their heads.

Now, Kurt was scared.

Once Rachel was seated, Mr Schuester handed them all feedback sheets.

Pair: Mercedes and Puck  
Rating: 9/10  
Comments: Good effort. Nice song choice. Not enough of M

Pair: Quinn and Artie  
Rating: 8/10  
Comments: Nice job

Pair: Brittany and Santana  
Rating: 9/10  
Comments: Really good choice of song. It would've been perfect if Brit hadn't kept singing, Ha ha, good job though.

Pair: Tina and Mike  
Rating: 7/10  
Comments: Nice. You need to be more confident Tina, you can do it!

Pair: Rachel and Matt  
Rating: 6/10  
Comments: I feel like you edited an original song a bit too much. Good effort though.

He felt that he'd been really generous in his ratings, as he handed the sheet to his teacher.

Mr Schue nodded and said, "Okay guys so you can get back the comments about you and then I'll announce who got the highest mark"

When Kurt and Finn were handed their comments, they read over them.

They had nine 9's all with similar comments about doing a great job.

But one stood out.

Pair: Kurt and Finn.  
Rating: 1/10  
Comments: You were let down by Elphaba's part

He immediately knew who'd written it. He'd sung Elphaba's part.

Plus there was only one person in the room with a grudge on him.

The same person who'd rung him the following night, assuring him that they would win.

Mr Schuester collected the sheets yet again then stood up the front to announce the winner.

"Coming fifth is Tina and Mike"

Tina muffled a laugh into her hand.

"Okay... Tying on fourth is Quinn and Artie and Mercedes and Puck"

Mercedes sent an 'I told you' glare at Puck.

"Coming third is Brittany and Santana"

They high-fived and Kurt's heart fluttered.

Would it be them that won still?

"Coming in at second..."

"Please be Rachel" He chorused in his mind.

"Is..."

"_Please.."_

"Kurt and Finn! You guys were so close. You were only one mark short of winning. So the winners are Matt and Rachel! That was amazing guys. Everyone put in so much effort!"

Kurt stared at a victorious Rachel, who was jumping up and down happily. "Oh well" Finn said, "At least we came second"

"Yeah" Kurt said, "I wonder who gave us that one terrible mark"

"Don't know. Maybe Brittany thought it was a seven"

Brittany wouldn't even know who Elphaba was, "Maybe"

Rachel came over to Finn and Kurt.

"Rachel!" Finn said, "You were great"

"Thank you!" She beamed.

"Congrats" he said, hugging her.

She hugged him back, not noticing Kurt's mortified glances at her.

'It's just a friendly victory hug' He told himself.

When they were separated again, Finn returned his attention to Kurt.

"You did really good." He smiled as he ruffled Kurt's hair jokingly, "I wish we won but we never really would have beaten Rachel. If we did she'd probably re-do the competition and vote for herself ten times"

Kurt smiled at him.

"Its alright. I think we should have won" Finn assured him.

"But it's okay. I'm sure nine of our friends agree with us" He replied.

Finn nodded.

"I'll be back in a second. I just have to go give my congratulations to Rachel"

Kurt walked off in Rachel's direction. When she caught sight of him, he gestured to her to follow.

Rachel paused her conversation with Artie to slip too Kurt.

She looked at him puzzled, "What is it?" She asked.

"Just wanted to congratulate you for your win. You did a fantastic job, really you did. I was just wondering what exactly about Elphaba's part let down our performance?"

"It would help if it was _a girl_ who sung it." She said quietly.

"Other then that."

"You were very good Kurt, but the song wasn't entirely suited to your voice."

He glanced at her, "Why couldn't you have just given your honest opinion. Are you that threatened by me?"

"You aren't a threat Kurt. What Finn and I have is _real_. I'm helping you!"

"You are not. You're trying to sabotage the odds"

"You mean what you did to me?"

He ignored it, "Every thing you try to throw at me, won't affect my chances"

"Kurt" She said gently, "Wake up. You have no chances"

He stared at her, "That's not true"

"It is. Finn isn't going to change for you. If you want him too be more then your friend, you could lose him as a friend. You need to think this through before you keep acting on these misunderstood feelings. None of its true! Its an illusion that you've created because you like him. He's never going to act on it. He's just a little too slow to understand what you're feeling. And when he does, you'll get hurt"

Kurt shook his head, "Stop it Rachel. You aren't playing fair. No matter what you say, it won't stop me."

"I'm not just saying it because we're meant to be in competition. And I know we are, but can we forget about that for now. As much as I wish my intentions were pure, I am trying to win over Finn. But now, you are a friend and you could get hurt. I'm looking out for you now."

Kurt bit down weakness, "Thank you for looking out for me. But its not going to affect me"

"And I'm not going to stop either. But I am worried about you. For your own sake, rather then mine.. Think it through"

He nodded at her. Nothing changed that Rachel was practically his rival. But for a blink of a second he knew she could be right.

He breathed anxiously, before slipping back away too his maths class.


End file.
